Complaint volume
304 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Ford Escape Complaints
304 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ford Escape, grouped by component category.
304 Total complaints
9 Crash reports
8 Fire reports
5 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are structure, unknown or other, fuel system, gasoline. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 9 crash reports, 8 fire reports, 5 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 69 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 38,675 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to structure, unknown or other, fuel system, gasoline?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Ford Escape?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Ford Escape
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Ford Escape complaints?
9 Crash
8 Fire
5 Injury
0 Fatality
12 Towed
2 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Ford Escape complaint categories?
STRUCTURE 73
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 25
SERVICE BRAKES 23
POWER TRAIN 17
ENGINE 13
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 7
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6
304 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the front driver's side window failed to go up or roll down. Additionally, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he opened the front driver's side door, and the door flew open as if there was an internal fracture. The contact also stated that he had to slam the door to close the door securely, and there were holes near the door latching point. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000. The VIN was unavailable. | Crash: No Fire: No | 98,000 |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | *corporate vehicle The check arm for our driver's side door appears to have separated from the frame. Our door feels like it may fall off. If our door falls off, we feel there are safety concerns (can list later if needed). Our story seems to corroborate many other complaints on this website. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | Door started cracking. Next day door made a loud crack and my door would not shut. I had to take it to my garage because Ford Manderbach Ford in Hamburg PA would not cover it due to no recall. My garage put door back together and spot welded everything back together. My bill was $95. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while opening the front driver's side door of the vehicle, the door made an abnormal popping sound. The contact stated while opening the door for a second time, the door made an abnormal grinding sound. The contact stated that the front driver's side door check arm weld had fractured internally, which prevented the window from rolling up and down as needed. Additionally, the door failed to close as intended and made an abnormal clicking sound while opening. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the front driver's side door check arm weld had fractured internally. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23013 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 43,200. | Crash: No Fire: No | 43,200 |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when he was exiting the vehicle and opened the front driver's side door, he heard a popping sound. The contact stated that the front driver's side window was inoperable, the window would not go up or down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a fractured check arm. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and they provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 43,294. | Crash: No Fire: No | 43,294 |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | The door check in the drivers door snapped after two years. Ford is not willing to take care of the situation but this is a known issue. Since this item has to do with the door and door latching, I do not feel comfortable driving my vehicle | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | Drivers side front door making creaking noise upon opening and closing. Does not properly close after 3 days since initial noise was noticed. Window does not go down. Believed to be faulty spot weld due to Fords negligence | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | Drivers door limiter broke away from the door creating an issue opening and closing the door. Also unable to roll the drivers window down very far. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | Left door weld broke. Making a popping noise. The window will not go up or down. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked, the driver's side door hinge had fractured which caused the contact to not be able to open the door or roll the window open. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the door needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | The door weld seems to have come off and causes the door to not latch properly and I cannot roll my window down this is a problem on both driver and passenger side. It appears there is a loose weld in the doors. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STRUCTURE | Upon opening the driver side door there was a pop. Every time the door has been opened to appx 50% full width the same popping noise occurs. The weld is popped in the hinge but this is not visible without taking the door apart. The door will close properly and the window works at this time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE | Driver door popping do to spot welds broke on door check/limiter | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE | Spot welds failed in the check arm bracket for the driver door. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was in the middle of driving and going around a curve and all of a sudden advance Trac warning light is on hill assist warning comes on and pre collision assist comes on and none of the stability sensors are working in my car and I noticed my steering is very off sometimes it’s stiffer than usual and sometimes it’s not as stiff and that is dangerous I think it definitely needs to be recalled that’s very serious can cause loss of control of the vehicle | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE | Drivers door bracket broken and makes ratcheting noise. Currie Ford in Frankfort Ill contacted and I was advised it will need a new door. Issue raised up to cover claim. Vehicle only has 40000 miles on it. See SSM 50150 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driver side door creaks and sticks. Door does not open completely. Incident where front driver window would not open at ATM. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driver side Door Check assembly weld broken. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The driver side door started popping when opening and closing door. After a couple days it got stuck and wouldn’t fully close. When I did fully close the door the check arm disconnected. The window will not move much since check arm broke. I have not had this inspected at a dealership but plan to. The only light that comes on is a door ajar light comes on occasionally and I have to shut door again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while opening the front driver's side door, the door made an abnormal popping sound. Additionally, the contact stated that the door failed to open wide enough or close securely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and the dealer applied a lubricant to the door, and the door was adjusted; however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that the door only opened 6-8 inches wide, causing him to slide in or out when entering or exiting the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact of the door weld failure, and that the manufacturer had determined that the door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 17,000 |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | Left Driver door making popping sound when opening or closing due to spot welds failing. Left Driver door has no catch when opening until door is completely open. Left Driver door electronics affected due to spot welds failing this includes window up/down function and locking/unlocking. Claim filed with Ford customer concern and spoke to dealer. Ford wants $2600.00 to repair and will contribute $900.00 because vehicle is out of warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V859000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, there was smoke coming from the vehicle, with the check engine and power train warning lights illuminated. The vehicle lost motive power however, the contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 55,137. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 55,137 |
| Aug 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reserving, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle after depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake pads to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the brake pads to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100 |
| Aug 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Vehicle caught on fire while we were driving. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |